Fulham took precautions to protect women’s team from Mohamed Fayed, ex-boss says
Fayed sold Fulham in 2013 and the official women’s team restarted the following year
FULHAM football club took precautions to protect their women’s team from Mohamed Fayed, a former boss says.
Norwegian Gaute Haugenes, who managed the team from 2001 to 2003, said staff were aware the owner “liked young, blonde girls”.
He said: “I read all the newspapers . . . and to be honest, it’s not the biggest surprise.
“We were aware he liked young, blonde girls. So we just made sure that situations couldn’t occur. We protected the players.”
Fayed bought Fulham in 1997 and under his ownership the third-tier men’s team rose to the top half of the Premier League in the early 2000s, reaching the Europa League final in 2010.
The women’s team, founded in 1993, turned professional under Fayed in 2000 and won the treble in 2002/03 — but it was dissolved three years later on financial grounds.
Fayed sold Fulham in 2013 and the official women’s team restarted the following year.
A spokesman for the club said it was “deeply troubled and concerned” to learn of the abuse reports in the Fayed TV documentary.
They added: “We are in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or has been affected.”
They urged people to share experiences with the club or the police.